Until now, Gmail has been primarily an email and instant messaging product. But Google is finally taking a shot at Facebook's and Twitter's social networking tools, apparently gearing up to turn Gmail into a hub for keeping track of friends, posting rolling updates, and more.
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If Dow 10,000 really is a key psychological level, then traders best call their shrinks. The major averages, already on a four-week losing streak, face anxiety over the Euroland debt debacles and waning earnings momentum. In other words, brace yourself for Dow 9,000 and change.
Apparently, lots of voters think it's healthy for neither party to have the votes in Congress to impose its will. But investors need to keep in mind the giant problems that need solving and that can get solved only if the Democrats and Republicans somehow learn to work together.
In this tepid global economy, the price of crude is struggling to stay in the $70-a-barrel range. And with demand easing further, prices got hammered last week. But even current prices could start looking high if Iraq's massive oil reserves finally return to the market.
It's assumed that expanding health coverage is the same thing as improving Americans' health. Not true. If Congress were serious about improving health, then some of the $1 trillion for health reform could go toward fitness programs, including rebates for being fit.
That battle may be over, but more is on the way. Publishers Hachette and HarperCollins are now also on board with the pricing model championed by rival Macmillan, which sets e-book prices higher. Amazon has restored Macmillan's titles to its site after a one-week protest -- but a much bigger, costlier fight looms.
When Coca-Cola reports earnings tomorrow morning, investors will get a sense for whether consumers in India and China were able to help offset the company's slowdown in sales in the U.S., Europe and Japan. The company has clearly set its sights on expanding economies that are growing at a faster pace than developed countries.
Disney is expected to show improvement in its first quarter as the entertainment giant's cable channels such as ESPN post better results. The first-quarter report will be especially telling as it includes income from the Disney parks during what's usually their best quarter.
Although Electronic Arts' fundamentals look solid, analysts have not been upbeat about the games giant's upcoming results, citing a "low pick-up" in video game sales. At the end of November, total video games sales were $14.1 billion, down 12% from the same time a year ago.
Loading... Loading... Loading...| Symbol | Last | Change / % | Volume |
|---|
| 3.15 | -0.07 -2.17% | 256.20M | |
| 105.89 | -0.77 -0.72% | 224.17M | |
| 14.48 | -0.52 -3.47% | 208.21M | |
| 13.66 | -0.28 -2.01% | 107.39M |
| 5.00 | +0.62 +14.16% | 10,000.00 | |
| 34.71 | +3.91 +12.69% | 11.45M | |
| 2.41 | +0.24 +11.06% | 1.14M | |
| 235.50 | +23.00 +10.82% | 100.00 |
| Type | Current | APR |
|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed mtg | 5.03% | 5.16% |
| 5/1 ARM | 4.04% | 3.57% |
| $30K HELOC | 5.20% | 0.00% |
| 36 month new car loan | 6.38% | 0.00% |
| 1 yr CD | 1.30% | 1.30% |
